Winter Begonia, Chapter 11: The Exquisite hands of the Opera Singer

Winter Begonia 《鬓边不是海棠红》Bin Bian Bu Shi Hai Tang Hong
Winter Begonia, Chapter 11: The Exquisite hands of the Opera Singer

One night in late February, Cheng Fengtai was late for a poker game. When he entered the room, he saw four already full tables, Shang Xirui was wearing a purple and reddish satin jacket, and on the cuffs and collar, she was wearing a purple satin jacket. A fine ring of fox fur, rich and graceful, with a pointed chin and a small, white face, like a landlord's young master. He rarely plays cards with anyone else.


Cheng Fengtai said in surprise: "Hey? Boss Shang! Playing mahjong?"

Shang Xirui smiled when he saw him, and waved at him, "Second Master, come and pick a card for me." As soon as this was said, everyone in the room looked at Cheng Fengtai, because it was Cheng Fengtai who used this trick to flirt with a beautiful woman, and today he flirted with him, which is really funny.

Cheng Fengtai also found it interesting, took off his gloves and rubbed his palm, came closer, and put his arm on the Shang Xirui leaned over the back of his chair, and touched a card. Shang Xirui smelled the cool cigarette smell on his body, like an herb that clears the throat, it smelled well.

Someone put the cards on the table: "I'm winning!"

Cheng Fengtai said: "Oops, I'm sorry that I didn't bring you luck." Then he took a gemstone ring and put it on Shang Xirui's hand: "This, I'll give it as an apology."

Shang Xirui never refused to accept the benefits given to him, touched the lump of gold on his hand which was still warm, and smiled: "I haven't seen you a few times, but I got three rings from Second Master."

Cheng Fengtai said, "Yeah, how many times till you think you should marry me?"

The crowd laughed, Cheng Second Master really has the gift of the gab, but not him. It's not a bargain. Shang Xirui's ears burned when they laughed, and he pushed Cheng Fengtai away with a shamefaced face.

Cheng Fengtai stood up and said in a loud voice, "Come to my son's birthday party on the third day of next month. You're all busy people, so I'll let you know in advance so you won’t miss it, but I hope you will put off all other engagements, so please come!"

"Another young master? Is this the third one?"

Cheng Fengtai sighed: "I was hoping it would be a daughter. But it's a boy again, and that's a pain in the ass."

Someone laughed and cursed: "Don't be disgusting, I have four daughters, and I can't even hope for a son."

Cheng Fengtai's eyes lit up: "So I'll swap with you?"

The man laughed and ignored him. Cheng Fengtai said: "Really! If I don't have a daughter by the time I'm 40, I'll go out and get one. If any of you don't want one, I'll take one and give it to me in a couple of years."

Everyone ignored his crazy talk, but Shang Xirui said, "Well. I like girls, too. She's sweet. She's filial."

Cheng Fengtai has found his kindred, so he takes a chair and sits with Shang Xirui talked about the Sutra of the Daughters and said, "Mr. Shang, I only invite you and your Shuiyun House in the third day, I won't post anymore. I'm only performing Danjue and Qingyi's opera, "Recruiting Young Ladies", so why don't you sing it? If you really get them tomorrow, it will be thanks to Mr. Shang."

The others laughed: "Your family has a daughter, thanks to Boss Shang. I'll have to ask Second Mistress, whose seed is it?"

Cheng Fengtai gritted his teeth and smiled, punching someone: "Damn, my skin itches again." Then he begged Shang Xirui: "Sing whatever you want that day, or change it to a new opera play, I'm sure no one will dare to splash you with boiled water."

Shang Xirui wanted to say it doesn't matter, I'm used to being splashed anyway. But your sister Cheng Meixin should have been there that day, right? When she sees me, she's going to throw her face at me again. But since Cheng Fengtai doesn't care about it, Shang Xirui doesn't care anymore, we agreed on the spot and agreed on a performance with Cheng Fengtai.

Cheng Fengtai has always been a bit of a whimsical guy. Since he was pampered, he had the financial means to be as whimsical as he wanted to be. On the third day of Chinese New Year, Cheng's family only performed Danjue's play. Shang Xirui's customers were so big that he stopped the show for a whole day to perform for Cheng Fengtai. He was going to sing a little opera that day, so he brought some of the best operas from Shuiyun House. Singer and his pianist Li Bo. Cheng Fengtai set aside a room for them and got them some dressers with light bulbs. It was placed in the house, but even so, I still feel slow, before the start of the play personally went to greet: "Mr. Shang... Brother Rui, is it all right? The snacks are in the box, you eat. The maids are in the corridor, they'll be here soon."

Shang Xirui is putting on makeup, grabbed a pinch of powder, and dabbed it on his hands, then her hands became transparent. The same. Other Peking opera performers often neglect the makeup on their hands, so they appear on stage with white and red peach blossom faces, holding a fan, and their hands are like peach blossoms. It was yellowish-black and incongruous. He had learned this detail from the Shaoxing opera actresses when he went to Shanghai.

Shang Xirui slowly put on two sparkling gemstone rings and looked at Cheng from the mirror. Cheng Fengtai, smiled: "Very well. Second Master has taken the trouble."

Cheng Fengtai looked at these hands in the mirror, they are more exquisite than the ladies' hands, and he really wants to hold them and rub them in his palm, then take a bite of them. He's always been a man of action, so he's not addicted to acting just as he was thinking about it, so he lifted the curtain through the gossip and entered the room. Xirui's hand, turning it up and down, rubbing it, looking at it and touching it: "Hey! Mr. Shang is this the ring I gave you."

Shang Xirui didn't know his intentions, and let him rub his hands, almost rubbing the powder off: "Yes. Second Master's own stuff, and you've forgotten it in the blink of an eye?"




Cheng Fengtai nodded and complimented, "Well... It's so bright. It's like a bag of water. Why didn't I notice it before...? "

I don't know if it was the ring he's praising or something.

Cheng Fengtai was doing some a light Opera singer flirting in the backyard, and the garden is already full, his brother-in-law Cao Siling and Sister Cheng Meixin also arrived. The couple brought a security squad with them, and a circle of armed and upright GIs stood along the wall, at each door. We're still guarding two of them, and the guests don't dare to joke too loudly for fear that Cao Siling will take out his gun and shoot someone dead if they're not careful. It's a little dodgy thing to happen.

Cao Siling is a tall, strapping, tall-nosed, hawk-faced northern man with a beard and a head full of prickly hair, sitting in the middle with his legs crossed in full military attire drinking hazelnuts with his legs crossed. He and Cheng Fengtai are not the same kind of handsome, rough, and rugged, even wild, a kind of primitive. The manliness. But as handsome as he was, no one dared to look at him, except for his men and Cheng Meixin.

Cheng Meixin was idly helping Cao Siling to peel hazelnuts, full of servants as rich as silk, she was overwhelmed by the excitement of it all. She was just happy to show off to her maiden's family, and it didn't matter whether the new nephew was round or flat. When she visited Second Mistress, she said the new baby looks like when Cheng Fengtai was a kid, but Cheng Meixin doesn't remember Cheng at all. What did Fengtai look like as a child? The next three half-siblings, Cheng Meixin. I don't trust anyone.

Cao Siling chewed the hazelnuts until they crunched: "I say - where's Little Feng'er? Why isn't he here?"

Cao Siling called Cheng Fengtai Little Feng'er like he's calling a girl, no one knows how he came up with that, but it makes everyone laugh.

Cheng Meixin said: "He was just here... Hey, here it comes."

When Cheng Fengtai finished with the beauty, he went to Cao Siling with a breeze on his face. Sit down, grab a hazelnut, and eat it. Cheng Meixin worked hard to peel the hazelnuts, but they ended up in his mouth, so he gave his brother a cold look. Cao Siling was so happy to see Cheng Fengtai that he put his hand on his thigh and slapped him. . Perhaps because of their age difference, Cao Siling is very interested in Cheng Fengtai. The frankness of the man outgoingness often gives rise to a feeling of pity for the child that is hedonistic and indulgent.

Cao Siling said: "Little Feng'er, take your son out and show him to me."

Cheng Fengtai said: "What's so great about it, it's like a plucked monkey. There will be a big show later! And, brother-in-law, don't call me Fengér, it's a girl's name, I'm ashamed to be heard... "

Cao Siling slapped him hard: "Damn it! What's wrong with calling you Little Feng'er! Who's in today's movie?"

Cheng Fengtai smiled ambiguously, lowered his voice, and said, "No one else has much to say, just one. Beiping the First Diva, that's interesting."

Cao Siling knew right away who it was, looked at him, and smiled ambiguously: "Oh. That's interesting."

When Cheng Meixin heard this, her eyes shot up with hatred and cursed Cheng Fengtai a son of a bitch, pimping out his brother-in-law right in front of her. That's for nothing, you little bastard...

Cheng Fengtai had a chat with Cao Siling, and a servant whispered something in his ear, Cheng Fengtai stood up in a hurry to dust off his clothes, and said: "Brother-in-law, take a seat, I will nip out and come back in a jiffy."

According to Cao Siling, he always comes only after the banquet starts. Today, he's early because it's Cheng Fengtai, and he's been sitting there for over 15 minutes, so he's a bit impatient. "Brother-in-law, you're a big man. And you're going to leave me sitting here?"

Cheng Fengtai smiled: "Brother-in-law, don't make it difficult for me. If you love your brother-in-law, I have to love my brother-in-law too, so I have to go and welcome him. I'll drink with you! I'll drink three of my own." He said and ran off, followed by Cao Siling who laughed and scolded him.

Cheng Fengtai's brother-in-law, Fa Lian, just came back from the countryside to take care of some properties. He came off the train straight yo the banquet, not empty-handed, but with two distant guests. When Cheng Fengtai saw the young couple standing behind him, he knew who they were, so he was right, Fa Lian happily introduced: "Brother-in-law, this is my cousin Chang Zhixin, and cousin-in-law Jiang Mengping."

Chang Zhixin was in his early thirties, wearing a black suit, tortoiseshell glasses, and slim eyebrows, His nose is high, and he looks like a man with a temper and angles. Next to her, Jiang Mengoing is wearing a pink tweed coat that is unbuttoned, revealing the inside of her dress. A brand new silk cheongsam. Curly hair at the ends, two rhinestone pins at the temples, and a touch of powder, in the new style of a young lady.




When Cheng Fengtai saw Chang Zhixin, he praised his talent, and he met with him and shook his hands warmly. He thought that the youngest wife had beautiful children and that he and Cha Chaér were more beautiful than the eldest sister, as far as they were concerned. Cheng Meixin is better looking. Fa Lian and Fan Jinling are also better looking than Second Mistress. And this Chang Zhixin is a standard beauty. Jiang Mengping isn't as beautiful as he expected, but she's already beautiful, but... Cheng Fengtai thought of her as a beautiful flower and felt a bit left out.

Fa Lian said: "I met my cousin in Jinan. He was coming to Beiping to take up an errand, so I came with him."

Cheng Fengtai is still holding Chang Zhixin's hand and shaking it up and down. Chang Zhixin smiled and said: "Mr. Cheng, I've heard so much about you!" Cheng Fengtai also heard a lot about him. This was not a polite remark, Fa Lian had told them many gossips about each other, which led to a long friendship.

Cheng Fengtai invited them into the house, smiling: "We're all family, why call us mister? I am your cousin-in-law, and you are my brother-in-law."

Chang Zhixin said: "Okay. Brother-in-law. How is your cousin? I'm ashamed to say since my aunt married far away, I've never seen this serious cousin." He smiled and patted Fa Lian's shoulder: "I'm very familiar with this wild-eyed cousin."

Jiang Mengping then laughed, "Well, shouldn't we go visit our cousin first?"

With that one sentence, it was like a small white hand tickling Cheng Fengtai's gut. What kind of voice is there in the world that is so beautiful, a trickle of water, so fine and clear, that speaks better than a song. Cheng Fengtai looked back at Jiang Mengping, Jiang Mengping nodded and smiled generously at him, and the smile made a warm and fragrant smell, like in the snow. A pink hibiscus blossom, endlessly gentle, beautiful, and charming.

Cheng Fengtai sighed in his heart: for her sake, Pingyang was a city full of people, today he believes it.

Mr. and Mrs. Chang visited the Second Mistress, Chang Zhixin has trouble getting into the bedroom, He just stood at the door, said hello, nodded and walked away. Jiang Mengping sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the children and asking adults, and her attitude was very warm. Even someone as cold and arrogant as Second Mistress couldn't help but like her, Fan. Jinling was particularly fond of her, hugging her sister-in-law and calling after her over and over. Jiang Mengping gently chatted with the two sisters and gradually fell in love with them, and they were inseparable.

The second Mistress held the child in her arms and thought, "A woman like that, the one my cousin gave up for. Even a fortune is worth her. Shang Xirui is an opera singer, how can we afford him?”

The men out there are talking too.

Cheng Fengtai said, "Brother-in-law, Second Mistress Fan (the Second Mistress Cheng) must have said a lot of bad things about me, right?"

"That's true. But as soon as I saw him today, I knew he was jealous."

"Haha, is brother-in-law a guest this time, or is he staying longer?"

"Depends on when Generalissimo Chiang gives me another transfer! Before that, I don't know how long I'll have to dwell in your place."

Fa Lian laughed: "Why does Mr. Jiang care about your business?" Turning to Cheng Fengtai, she said: "Cousin is family, there are no transfers to move in another place”

Cheng Fengtai had heard from Fa Lian about the life of Chang Zhixin, surprised: "Did your brother-in-law study law at the language university?"

Chang Zhixin also heard from Fa Lian about Cheng Fengtai's life. He pushed up his glasses and said: "Thanks to my brother-in-law's literature studies at law school, which took up my quota, I have to go at the Faculty of Arts to study law."



All three of them laughed. Chang Zhixin wasn't as serious as he seems, he's a joker.




~ Winter Begonia ~




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